August 29, 2018 29 Job 30; Psalm 120; James 3:13-4:12

“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 (NLT) The heart of this ministry is to inspire a love for God’s Word and encourage the discipline of daily Bible reading and SOAP journaling. These are a few of our SOAP notes from today’s reading. We encourage you to read and journal on your own first, then join us in conversation about what God revealed to YOU today. Click HERE to go directly to the daily reading if you wish.

Come Back | Marisa Hartman

S~ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:8,10 (NIV)

O~ James is writing to, “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.” (James 1:1) He has heard about the trials they are facing in their daily lives and he’s writing to encourage, but also admonish, them. This letter would have been passed around from city to city all over the region. It would travel with someone who would act as a sort of courier and was meant to be shared.

A~ To me this verse is saying, “wake up, refocus your heart, and come back.” Come near to God; spend time with Him through prayer and reading His word. Wash your hands; clean off the dirt of sin through repentance. Humble yourselves; admit you were wrong and that you really do need Him. People, God wants to be near us. He desires to spend time with each of us. He wants us to know Him and His plans for us. We cannot know Him or be lifted up by Him if we are not spending time with Him. Am I personally putting my faith into action and putting Jesus first? Honestly, not really. He’s on my list, but first? Nope. BUT, I have the power to change that and so do you. SEEK FIRST His kingdom. Prioritize God in everything. When we do that, everything else will fall into place. You have the power to stop the crazy. God provides peace and purpose when we seek Him first. He will rescue, or lift up, what is lost. Our pastor said, “Jesus paid the price to close the gap.” He loves you. He loves me. He wants us with Him and near Him always.

P~ Father, thank you for offering redemption. Thank you for grace. Thank you for allowing me to return to You time and again. Thank you for guidance and relationship and love. Please teach me to put You first in everything. All I have, and all I am is yours.

My Thoughts and Words…My Heart | Kim Chipman

S~Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? James 4:11-12 (NIV)

O~ My highest calling – really the purpose of my life – is to love. I’m sure it grieves Your heart when I speak and think critically of others. That’s not what I’m here for. Not part of my purpose.

A~ Recently I listened to a very convicting podcast. Shauti Feldhahn spoke at NorthPoint church about her new book The Kindness Challenge. Here’s the challenge. Pick one person as your target and for 30 days do these three things:

Say nothing negative/negatively about your person – either to them or about them to someone else.

Every day, find one thing you can sincerely praise or affirm about your person and tell them, and tell someone else.

Every day, do a small act of kindness or generosity for your person.

This verse brings this talk to mind. This seems like a HOW for this verse. Speak well to people and about people. Some people make this extraordinarily difficult, but that doesn’t make it any less my responsibility to do it.

P~ Lord, I need Your power here. Help me to honor You in how I think about and speak about people. I love You!

Our team would love the privilege of praying for you! Please share how we can lift you in prayer at prayer@DiscoverOneThing.com